On Common Ground. How Smart Are Your S.M.A.R.T. Goals?

As the final bell rings the first day of school, you quickly check your email and find a note from your primary evaluator requesting to meet with you to establish your “S.M.A.R.T. Goals” for the school year. The problem is, most of us have never been taught how to develop S.M.A.R.T. Goals. But before you collapse in despair at “yet another thing to do,” take a step back! Examining our professional practice using S.M.A.R.T. Goals should be viewed as an opportunity to be embraced rather than seen as a burden. This is your chance to take time to reflect on your daily practice. Is there something that is consistently problematic for you? For example, have you ever wondered if the pathfinders you labor to create are really useful, or will your students read more because of eBooks? Take the first step—reflect!

The next step is to define why the question of practice is important to you. This involves data and discussion and is why you should consider partnering with others to develop your S.M.A.R.T Goals. Consider with whom you can collaborate. One district we know of created a team comprised of the library teachers from the elementary, middle, and high schools. Not only did they collaborate to achieve their professional goal, they learned a lot about the role of the school library at different levels within their district. Public librarians, private school librarians, and members of other departments within your school are all potential candidates with whom you can collaborate. The pursuit of your goal will be enriched by the varied perspectives, knowledge, and abilities that your partners can bring as you pursue a jointly developed goal.

Once you have assembled your team of S.M.A.R.T Goal collaborators, work together to apply the S.M.A.R.T. Goal criteria as follows:

• S – Specific

The goal should be Specific and Strategic. It should concisely state what you plan to accomplish.

• M – Measurable

It is important that you define various ways to collect data to analyze and determine your goal results. In addition to measureable, the goal you pursue should also be Meaningful to you and to your team. Whatever you pursue, the result should be something that will make a difference in your program and daily practice for you and for your students. 

• A – Attainable

Can the plan you develop and the question you pose be answered in the specified length of time you have? Are the necessary resources for your plan’s implementation available and ready to use? If you need to order materials or take a course to gain content knowledge to achieve your goal, you will need to factor this into your plan’s timeline. This leads directly to R and Realistic.

• R – Realistic

Ask yourself, and answer honestly: can your plan be accomplished? Also ask yourself what Research is needed to grow necessary background knowledge. Above all, your S.M.A.R.T Goal should be Relevant to you. All of the above needs to be in place for your plan to be approved by your evaluator. Then you can hit the ground running!

• T – Timed.

As a school librarian, you may find yourself pursuing your goal with a group of students as little as once a week. Every moment will count. Having a timeline ensures that all the various tasks and steps you have defined for bringing your plan to completion can actually be accomplished. Be aware and be prepared for surprises along the way—some might require Tweaks to the schedule.

To us, T is the most important letter. For us, it also represents “Take-a-risk.” There is no right or wrong when pursuing a question of practice. You will discover that more questions are raised than are answered. In any case, it is a guarantee that you will have grown as a reflective practitioner and your library program will be improved because you have been willing to move beyond your comfort zone and explore possibilities. Your plan will take perseverance. You almost certainly will need to embrace change. It is a guarantee that you will grow and learn as you pursue your S.M.A.R.T Goal and realize the effectiveness of your instruction and your library program. What will your S.M.A.R.T. Goal be this school year?